Greek word · G127
αἰδώς
aidōs
modesty
A sense of shame in the positive sense: respect for what is honorable, reverence, reticence, deference, the inner check that stops a person from overstepping bounds. In Greek tradition it is a virtue, personified as a goddess in Hesiod.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
αἰδώς (-όος), -οῦς, ἡ,
[in LXX: 3Ma.1:19 4:5 * ;]
a sense of shame, modesty: 1 Timothy 2:9 (for exx., see MM, VGT, see word).†
SYN.: αἰσχύνη (see Thayer, 14; Tr., Syn., §xix; Cremer, 611 f.; CGT on I Ti, l.with). (AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of 1 Timothy 2:9
- Range of meaning
A sense of shame in the positive sense: respect for what is honorable, reverence, reticence, deference, the inner check that stops a person from overstepping bounds. In Greek tradition it is a virtue, personified as a goddess in Hesiod. It applies to men and women alike, though it was especially praised in women.
- Against the English
KJV "shamefacedness," BSB/ESV/WEB "modesty," NIV "decency." "Shamefacedness" now suggests embarrassment or sheepishness, which is not the idea. "Modesty" comes closer, if understood as humble restraint rather than dress coverage.
- How it drifted
Tyndale and the early KJV used "shamefastness," meaning held fast or secured by a sense of honor. Through folk etymology it later became "shamefacedness," which sounds like blushing embarrassment.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Classical and Hellenistic authors (Homer, Xenophon, Plutarch) treat aidōs as the root of decent conduct. Plutarch lists it among a wife's true adornments, alongside dignity and good order. In the NT it appears only here, and in some manuscripts at Hebrews 12:28 for reverence toward God.
Where it appears
1 Timothy · 1
-
1 Timothy 2:9 αἰδοῦς modesty
Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,
Here: An inner sense of what is fitting and honorable, a respectful restraint that keeps a person from showing off or overstepping. It is not embarrassment.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.